The last of the Alexanders.

Pat’s sister, Deborah, phoned last night to let us know that their uncle, Leslie, had died earlier that evening. Leslie shared two passions with his brothers Victor (Pat’s father) and Maurice: whisky and tobacco. The latter was particularly remarkable as Leslie, having contracted TB, had a lung removed during the war.  He survived into his late eighties, without ever contracting cancer. A sign-writer by trade, he ran his own business well into his seventies. Life went downhill in his eighties after he surrendered his driving licence and could no longer make his daily pilgrimage to Leigh-on-Sea conservative club. Click here to see photos of Leslie’s 85th birthday party held at the club.

  He was not, of course, in reality the last of the Alexanders. Although neither he nor Maurice had children, and Vic had no sons, the Alexander genes survive in Pat and Deborah, Sophy and Candy, and, most recently of all, in Quinn pictured above with his great-great-uncle!